Pneumatic elevator.



PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

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K. BRUGHLE.

PNEUMATIC ELBVATOR.

'Illlnw APPLNATION IILHD JULY 25, 1906.

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PATENT OFFICE; y

KARL BECHLE, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

PNEUMATIC ELEvAToR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

' Application filed July 25, 1906. Serial No. 327,620.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL BRCHLE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, of the city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Elevators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof.

Pneumatic elevators oer material advantages over steam, hydraulic and other elevators in the avoidance of heavy loads on buildings due to water tanks and heavy machinery, in the length of cables required, in ease and certainty of control, and. in various other particulars, but because of hitherto unsatisfactory operation at considerable heights, the use of pneumatic elevators has been restricted generally to comparatively short lifts, such as one or two stories.

It is the object of this invention to overcome the objections hitherto incident to the use of pneumatic elevators and to provide an elevator of this type which shall be safe in operation, shall be capable of use for any number of stories, shall require only abouthalf the of length of cable ordinarily required, shall be certain in operation, shall be free from liability to failure, shall require a comparatively small amount of space, shall be of low cost in installation and maintenance, and shall permit the attainment of the advantages due to the use of air under pressure..

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical structure, those other parts of elevator construction which are not directly concerned with the invention being omitted.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of an elevator in which the present improvements are embodied. Fig. 2 is a detail view. on a larger scale, partlyin elevation and partly in vertical section, illustrating certain features of construction of the cylinder. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the rings applied to the cylinder, which is also shown. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of the valves. Fig. 7 is .a detail view llustrating particularly the relation and mode of operation of several exhaust valves.

on an enlarged scale The car a travels in a shaft b which may be provided with suitable guides, safety appliances, door opening devices, not necessary 'to be shown herein. In convenient proximity to the shaft b is mounted vertically a cylinder c, the preferred construction of which will be explainedl hereinafter. In the cylinder, which has a length corresponding to the extent of movement of the car, travels a piston d which is connected at each end with the car a, a cable c connecting the top of the piston with the top of the car and moving through a suitable gland f at the upper end of the piston and over suitable guide wheels g and a cable e connecting the lower end of the piston with the bottom of the car and similarly passing through a gland f/ at the lower end of the cylinder and over suitable guide wheels g. The cylinder is connected at its upper and lower ends, beyond the range of travel of the piston d, through suitable valves 7L, h and pipes h2 with a reservoir i containing air under pressure from any suitable source. Both valves h and L, being suitably related to each other for the admission of air above or below theypiston as may be desired, are connected to the controlling cord k which passes over suitable guides k and through the car a, in which it may be provided with a suitable controlling device k2, indicated in dotted lines. Pressure is preferably maintained on both faces of the piston d, the

on the other, through the relief of pressure on the other face, according to the direction The in which it is desired -to move the car.

car, being connected above and below to posite faces of the piston, is thus always perfectly under control, its movement is uniform and regular and the cable is perfectly balanced, leaving only the excess of the weight of the car over that of the piston to be taken care of. Furthermore, although -the piston and the car are connected both above and below, the length of cable em- 10C ployed is considerably less than that usually employed in elevators. The cylinder c is .pressure on one face being greater than that also provided with exhaust valves Z, Z', 2,

etc., one for each iioor or station at which the car may be stopped. These exhaust valves I"5 i are also connected to the controlling cord 7c to be operated thereby and are properly related so that any one may be opened as de sired. If the car, in its ascent, is to be stopped at the second ioor, in the construc- U0 tion illustrated, the controlling cord 7s is o perated to open the exhaust valve l', so that as soon as the piston d passes beyond the port of the valve Z the air above the piston is permitted to escape from the cylinder and the car immediately comes to a standstill, the pressure in the cylinder being relieved just enough to hold the car stationary. In the same manner, if the car is to at any other floor or station, the corresponding exhaust valve is opened and the car is brought to rest through the escape of air.

It will be understood that the valves 7i, z/ and Z, Z, etc., although connected to a coinmon controlling cord, nevertheless have the ports in the several valve plugs so related in position that a certain movement of the cord 'causes one or more of the valves to open while all the others remain closed. One of the valves is shown in Figs. 4 and. 5 as having its ports in different positions.

The several exhaust valves Z, Z, etc. open into a common exhaust pipe m by which the air, still under some pressure, is delivered to a low pressure receiving tank a provided with a gage n and a safety valve en?. From this tank or storage reservoir a the air, under the lower pressure, in'ay be drawn off for use elsewhere, as in a pneumatic carrier system, in door openers for the elevator, etc., thus effecting considerable economy. Instead of drawing off the low pressure air directly from the tank n it is preferable to conduct it through a suitable pipe 0 and a cock o to another low pressure air tank p, also provided with a gage p and blow-off or safety valve p2 from which it may be delivered to a pipe g and cock q.

The cylinder c, as well as its fittings, is preferably made of brass in. order to obviate the danger from rust which frequently interferes with the proper operation of other elevators. As a brass cylinder, however, of the length and size of that required for use in an ordinary elevator, would be liable to deformation from various causes, particularly in handling the sections thereof, each section c thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is provided vnth a number of collars cL of iron or other suitable material, secured about the cylinder at intervals for the purpose of preserving the circular cross section and of protecting the cylinder from injury by taking blows and protecting the cylinder or the section thereof from contact with other articles by which it might be dented or otherwise deformed. Each ring is preferably split, as indicated at c3, the ends being provided with lugs c4 through which may be passed a bolt c to clamp the ring snugly about the cylinder. Each section c is also provided at its end with a 'hanged ring c, so that not only are the ends of the sections protected but that two sections may be firmly united by bolts e7 passed. through the flanges, as clearly shown be stopped j in Fig. 2. The end of one section prelbrably extends somewhat beyond. the ring c", as clearly shown at the top of Fig. 2, an d. the adjacent ring c of the next section preferably extends a corresponding distance beyond the end of the tube, as shown at the bottom of Fig. 2, in order that an internally smooth joint may be made.

It will be understood that .various changes in details of construction and arrangement may be made to suit different conditions ol'V use and that the invention. is not to be .restricted to the precise construction shown and described herein.

l claim as my invention:

1. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination of a shaft, a car, a cylinder adjacent to the shaft, a piston in said cylinder connected to the top and the bottom of the car, and. means to admit air under pressure to the cyl inder on opposite sides of the piston.

2. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination of a shaft, a car, a cylinder adjacent to the shaft, a piston in said. cylinder, a cable connecting the piston with the top of the car, a cable connecting the piston with the bottom of the car, guides for said. cables, and means to admit air under pressure to said cylinder on opposite sides of the piston..

3. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination of a shaft, a car, a cylinder adjacent to the shaft, a piston in said cylinder connected to the car, exhaust valves connecting to said cylinder at points corresponding to the stations, ineans to admit air under pressure to said cylinder, and means under the control of the operator to open any of said. exhaust valves.

Li. ln a pneumaticl elevator, the combination of a shaft, a car, a cylinder adjacent to the shaft, a piston in said cylinder coinieeted to the top and to the bottom of the car, exhaust valves for said cylinder at points corresponding to the several stations, means to admit air under pressure to said vlinder on both sides of the piston, and means under the control of the operator of the car to open any of said exhaust valves.

5. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination of a shaft, a car, a cylinder adjacent to the shaft, a piston in said cylinder connected to the car, means to suppl.,T air under pressure to said cylinder, exhaust valves l'or said cylinder, and a common low pressure receiving tank, independent of the air supply means, connected to said exhaust valves to receive the air therefrom.

6. ln a pneumatic elevator, the combina tion of a shaft, a car, a cylinder adjacent to the shaft, a piston in said. cylinder, a cable connecting said piston with the top of the car, a cable connecting said. piston with the bottoni of the car, guides for said cables. means to supply air under pressure to said cylinder, an exhaust valve for said cylinder lOO and a low pressure storage tank, independent ofthe air supply means, connected to said eX- liaust valve to receive the air therefrom.

7. Ina pneumatic elevator, the combination of a shaft, a car, a cylinder of relatively soft metal, a piston in said cylinder connected to the car, means to admit 'air under pressure to the cylinder and split supporting and protecting rings applied to said cylinder.

In a pneumatic elevator, the combination of a shaft a car, a cylinder adjacent to the shaft composed of several sections, a piston in said cylinder connected to the car, means to admit air to said cylinder, iianged rings applied to the ends of each section ofthe cylinder, and means to secure the flanged rings together, the end of one section being eX- tended beyond its ring to enter the adjacent ring of the next section.

This specification si this 18th day of July, A. D., 1906.

KARL BRCHLE.

Signed in the presence of` LUoIUs E. VARNEY, THOMAS A. PRICE.

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